Threaded Mode | Linear Mode

Chr Yoko · (This post was last modified: 07-22-2020 09:05 AM by Chr Yoko.)

The Bay ....
Still possible to find real bargains such as :

A bit of cleaning, and should be right !

8-)

Maximilian Hohmann · 07-22-2020, 10:24 AM

Hello!

(07-22-2020 09:03 AM)Chr Yoko Wrote: A bit of cleaning, and should be right !

That must be the legendary one that went through the hippopotamus (https://www.hpmuseum.org/hp12c.htm) :-)

(07-22-2020 07:58 AM)isanchez Wrote: I am very respectful how people use their money.

Respectful - yes, but puzzled nonetheless!

(07-22-2020 07:58 AM)isanchez Wrote: In this case, many people concurred to the auction and they are not stupid.

No, not many. The real high bids were placed by only two bidders, one of them with only 2 rating points (which usually makes me suspicious enough _not_ to bid on such items).

(07-22-2020 07:58 AM)isanchez Wrote: Good: if you already have a good collection. It increases in value with each passing day.

No, unfortunately not. This auction is really out of the usual and I guess this is why we talk about it. I have been buying calculators for over two decades and therefore closely followed the prices. I have the impression that the prices are coming down, at least here in Europe. The market is getting smaller evey day (are there any serious collectors under the age of 50?) and seems to be pretty much saturated. During the last year I found, mostly on eBay in plain view for all of us, some of the best bargains ever. Not just HP but all other brands as well.

Regards
Max

Chr Yoko · 07-22-2020, 01:09 PM

Seems to be a kind of bubble ...
If we believe in market price forces, then it will make sense to produce new pieces.
High prices, means a market exists that should attract some entrepreneurs.

New modern motherboards are already available for purchase.

Need now to retool the casings and keyboards as similar looking as possible as the original old HP model.

Could be of a low capacity technology (thermoforming / cnc etc ...) since volume potential may not justify mass production injection molding tools.

Screen could be Oled or backlit LCD type 8-)

Albert Chan · 07-22-2020, 03:38 PM

(07-21-2020 09:01 PM)rprosperi Wrote: How stupid can buyers be?? I guess 457 Euros proves the answer is: extremely stupid!

Economists calls this the winner's curse.
Not only the "winner" paid the high price, he knows that everyone else are un-willing to paid it Sad

My auction strategy is to place the bid, then forget about it. (no second bid)

jebem · (This post was last modified: 07-22-2020 05:17 PM by jebem.)

(07-22-2020 03:38 PM)Albert Chan Wrote:
(07-21-2020 09:01 PM)rprosperi Wrote: How stupid can buyers be?? I guess 457 Euros proves the answer is: extremely stupid!

Economists calls this the winner's curse.
Not only the "winner" paid the high price, he knows that everyone else are un-willing to paid it

My auction strategy is to place the bid, then forget about it. (no second bid)

That's what I do after learning the hard way.
Once I insisted on bidding and ended up with a piece of junk in my collection despite being a 41C.
Now I set the value that I believe is right for me and place my bid, and wait for the end.
No regreats and second thoughts.

Maximilian Hohmann · 07-22-2020, 06:07 PM

Hello!

(07-22-2020 03:38 PM)Albert Chan Wrote: My auction strategy is to place the bid, then forget about it. (no second bid)

Me too. Occasionally I will place a small bid early (instead of putting it on my watch list where I tend to overlook things) and sometime within the last 24 hours I will place my real bid, i.e. the amount that the calculator is worth to me. If I get it it's good. For a short while at least - we all have learned that the dopamine-rush that we get from shopping lasts only briefly. And if I don't get it I usually have already forgotten about it by the time the auction ends. And if I really, really want or need it I will buy it at "The Calculator Store" :-)

Regards
Max

aurelio · (This post was last modified: 07-26-2020 11:07 AM by aurelio.)

Hi all, It would be interesting to know if the buyer is a member of this community even if I believe he isn't, in any case more interesting to know what he is thinking about our comments!!! Smile

grsbanks · 07-26-2020, 11:24 AM

If I were the buyer I'd keep quiet about it after reading some of the comments here Big Grin

aurelio · (This post was last modified: 07-26-2020 12:15 PM by aurelio.)

(07-22-2020 07:05 AM)grsbanks Wrote: There's one guy on eBay selling a pack of 4 "replacement batteries for HP 49G" (translation: bog standard Duracell AAA batteries) for over $100.

If anyone does buy that, they really do need their head looking at.

if somebody buys them , the seller deserves a prize Smile

John Galt · 07-26-2020, 02:27 PM

(07-22-2020 05:16 PM)jebem Wrote:
(07-22-2020 03:38 PM)Albert Chan Wrote: ...
My auction strategy is to place the bid, then forget about it. (no second bid)

That's what I do after learning the hard way.

Same here.

A while ago, perhaps a decade or two, I saw a particularly desirable item come up for sale, and I put in a reasonable bid based upon my market research. I lost.

A couple years passed and I saw another one come up for sale, but this time I put in a much higher bid, considerably above market. I lost.

Years pass, and again I find another one appear. Determined to win this time, I submitted a bid far in excess of market value, taking solace in the fact that I would only have to pay a little more than what the next bidder was willing to pay. I was certain to win. I lost.

Today, that same item sells for three times the amount I considered to be beyond ridiculous.

Who's to say what stupid is, but I stopped playing that game. It's crazy.

Albert Chan · 07-26-2020, 02:54 PM

(07-26-2020 02:27 PM)John Galt Wrote: Who's to say what stupid is, but I stopped playing that game. It's crazy.

"The only winning move is not to play" Big Grin

grsbanks · 07-26-2020, 04:26 PM

With the inevitable bidding frenzy that takes place in the final minutes of the auction, if you place a bid early on then you are bound to lose.

What I do is place a low bid fairly early on so that the seller can't just take the item off for no good reason (they can if there are no bids on it). I then set myself a limit and take part in the frenzy, ramping up my bids gradually until they reach the maximum I had set myself. More often than not, I win the auction that way.

aurelio · 07-27-2020, 07:25 AM

About 15 years ago I bought on TAS (ebay) actually not a calculator, but a collectable item quite rare. The first time I saw it for sale from a german seller I lost the auction at the last minute 'cause of a connection problem, the winner was the only bidder . I was so disappointed for that... suffering for weeks Smile

After a few months I found another one maybe in better conditions but with the buy now option and I bought it for quite two times more the price of the first bid.
Now with cold mind never I should do the same thing, never, but that time I did it, maybe just for the pleasure to own it, I think its real value is nowadays a fourth of the money I payed...
Just to say that often the value of a thing is just a personal matter.
It could happen that we give to a calculator a value higher of the real one, but maybe just for a sentimental reason. isn't it?

pinkman · 10-06-2020, 10:08 PM

I felt the same Aurelio with photo gears...

Here is another interesting auction, £1000 (1100€): https://www.ebay.fr/itm/254732658537

grsbanks · 10-07-2020, 05:50 AM

(10-06-2020 10:08 PM)pinkman Wrote: Here is another interesting auction, £1000 (1100€): https://www.ebay.fr/itm/254732658537

At least they've brought the price down a little. It used to be up at £1500. I wonder why it never sold....